Reviewer:

Good starter recipe. I didn't have chicken broth so substituted it with homemade veg. broth (7.5 cups)thus eliminating the needed for the 5 1/2 cups of water. Also, used ground pork sausage instead, sliced sausage would have been fine too.
The only vegetable I added was chopped celery to add a hint of tangy celery goodness.
It wasn't my goal to change this recipe but just adjusted based on what I had in my kitchen!

Reviewer:

This was delicious, and my husband LOVED it! I did it my own way, though, because we wanted a "stoup" rather than a soup. First I browned the italian sausage in the pot that everything would eventually go into, then drained the fat. Instead of dry beans, I used two cans of black beans that I had in stock, drained, and sauteed them for about 20 minutes with the garlic, broth and spices in a different pot. Only used about 2 cups of water since 5 1/2 wasn't needed. I pureed the entire pot of beans, liquid, and spices and it created a thicker soup. After steaming the sweet potatoes, I added them into the pot with the sausage, puree mixture and worcestershire and 1 cup of chicken broth, and let it all simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Garnished with scallions. DELICIOUS, and so flavorful!

Reviewer:

First off, hats off to the chef! This soup hits the spot. I made a few adjustments to cater to the flavors that my family is use to and to simplify. I sauteed a med. white onion in 1Tbsp EVOO then added garlic and 1/2llb keilbasa diced. I then added cumin, oregano and red pepper flakes. Next I added 2 cans of black beans and 3 cans of water, 2 chicken boulion cubes, 1/2 cup fresh cilantro and the sweet potato. Last but not least I diced fresh tomato and scallions and added those as garnish allong with a little mozzarella.Delicioso!!

Reviewer:

I have made this for my family at least 30 times, we love it so much. We use trader joe's spicy chicken italian sausage to give it a little kick. Love, love love the flavor - I think cooking the beans from scratch in the bay leaf and garlic gives it flavor and steaming the sweet potatoes before adding to the soup, as the recipe suggests, keeps them from getting too soft and mushy. Enjoy!

Reviewer:

This soup is delicious! I omitted the sausage and honestly didn't miss it. The sweet potatoes are good because they're not too sweet, and they're a great alternative to white potatoes. I recently made this soup to take with me on the road. It travels great and lasts, especially if you put it over rice or grains. Enjoy :)

Reviewer:

We've made this soup many times and it's a hit with my family (including a picky husband and a three year old) every time. We've even served it to company and received rave reviews. The only change we make is to use smoked kielbasa instead of Italian sausage. It's scrumptious!

Reviewer:

This would have been SO GOOD if I hadn't forgotten to lower the heat! :-( !! I used Italian turkey sausage and needed additional water and chicken broth (even before I semi-burned it). I hope that the 8 servings was referring to a first-course soup; we had it as a meal and it served 4 very well. We topped it up with low-fat sour cream and served with 9-grain bread. I'll DEFINITELY make this again, but this time I WON'T BURN IT!